The year
by yesimadramaqueen
Summary: The remaining crew members of Serenity celebrate the one year anniversary of the Tam's arrival on the ship. M/R and S/K; slight Z/J if you squint. oneshot.


One year ago the Tams arrived on his boat. It seemed like it had been ten. She'd grown enough for ten years. She was night and day. A totally different girl. Well, not _totally_ different.

She was still a bit crazy, probably always would be, but she had sturdier ground to stand on nowadays. It was almost…ironic…how things turned out. Here she was better off after everything when everyone else was worse.

They were still mourning the loss of their friends and he was mourning the loss of Inara once again to the Training House. He still had his ship and most of his crew. He was still breathing and they were still flying. Maybehaps that was enough.

He was seated at the kitchen table with a mug of engine wine enjoying the show.

"Where'd he learn ta dance like that?" Jayne asked him gruffly with a thumb in Simon's direction. "Don't seem like a right 'n proper dance they'd teach 'round the Core, do it?"

"I don't know," Mal shrugged with a faint smile.

The change in the doc was just as drastic as his sister's. He was loosening up, relaxing, and laughing for once. Most of that was little Kaylee's doing.

Zoe watched the young couple with a sad smile, haunting memories of her husband plaguing her thoughts. She reached out and turned the music up.

She was still healing, but something about seeing the sparkle in the two kids' eyes helped that along. It was soothing to know that there was still love and happiness in the 'verse.

Mal's eyes shifted to the other person in the room. She was to the left of Simon and Kaylee dancing alone. He knew that she didn't mind it. It was sad that she didn't. Ever since Simon moved into Kaylee's bunk, she was mostly alone.

The night went on and Jayne and Zoe stayed at the table and started playing cards while Kaylee and Simon kept dancing in the free space between the table and the corridors. Mal was on the couch and she was in the chair beside him.

The music floated in from the table. It crackled through the small black box and sounded more like static than anything else. The lights were down since the night cycle had begun at least two hours earlier. Jayne's cigar smoke blanketed the entire room in a thick haze clouding what little light came from the various lanterns.

Simon and Kaylee's laughter floated through the air like bubbles, complimenting the music perfectly.

He was twirling Kaylee around with a lightness in his eyes that Mal had never seen before.

Zoe was laughing too, really laughing, for the first time since Wash died.

"One year today," River commented softly, not wanting to disrupt the quiet calm of the moment.

"Weirdest gorram year of my life," Mal replied playfully.

"Best year of mine."

She smiled at him. It was gentle and sweet, like she was. The sincerity of the statement got to him.

He didn't know when things between them stopped being awkward, but they did. It was almost…comforting…to be around her of late.

"You're tellin' me that bein' on my rickety boat was better than livin' in the Core?" he asked incredulously.

"I love Serenity."

The way she said it was so genuine. It was simply impossible to question it.

"Normally I ain't one for celebrating anniversaries, but little Kaylee had a good notion," he sighed contentedly.

"The past is important. Should be acknowledged. It makes us who we are. Takes us here. Without it, we wouldn't have what we do. Who we do."

"I s'ppose you've got a point, darlin', but you think too gorram much."

"There isn't a lot to do on the bridge."

He chuckled. She did too.

They sat there in silence for the longest time, simply listening to the music and taking in the wholeness of the moment. It was complete, something that happened so infrequently, whenever it did, they had to question whether they were awake or not.

The music had slowed and the love birds were just swaying, intertwined in each other's arms. Jayne and Zoe were still at the table. The wine had finally gotten to them.

"I really love ya," Jayne slurred. Zoe merely hiccupped.

River was curled up in the chair mindlessly playing with her hair. He watched her. She had that faraway look in her eyes. The mysterious look, not the crazy one. He blurted the words out, questioning his sanity as soon as they left his mouth.

"Wanna dance?"

Her eyes slowly shifted to him. She studied him for a moment and he awkwardly cleared his throat and stuttered out something like, "_Well, if you don't wanna_…"

She frowned thoughtfully. For a moment, he thought that he had messed up. She giggled. "You worry too much."

She stood and extended her hand. He took it and cautiously followed her towards where Simon and Kaylee were dancing. The doc was too busy to notice what Mal and his mei-mei were doing. That was a punch that could wait until later.

Mal somewhat clumsily put an arm around her waist and started to move. She closed the space between them and took over the lead. He was glad. Dancing was never his thing. She set her cheek against his chest and oddly enough, he didn't mind. It was comfortable.

Jayne was crying on Zoe's shoulder—something about how she'd always been there—and she was laughing uncontrollably at him. They were going to be _so_ trashed in the morning.

Simon and Kaylee were oblivious to the 'verse around them and completely engulfed in each other's mouths.

Mal's fingers intertwined with hers and they moved in a slow circle. She looked up at him and found his eyes with her own. He looked back at her as his smile widened.

"What are you lookin' so intent-like at me for?"

"No reason."

They held their gaze. He was only inches away from her. She felt his warm breath on her face. Finally, she broke the spell and returned her head to his chest. He put his arm tighter around her and inadvertently set his chin on the top of her head.

"Captain," she muttered into his blue shirt.

"Albatross."

"It's been a year."

"It has."

"Thank you."

"For?"

"The year. Wouldn't have been the same without you."

"It wouldn't of been the same without you neither, darlin'."

"In a bad way."

"No. In a good way…and an interestin' 'n eventful way."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Really."

He kissed the top of her head on an impulse. He could feel her smiling into his chest as they danced.

He smiled too. His crew was on the mend. He was still a little broken and lost. But as always, he'd find a way to heal. Maybe he'd found it already and just didn't know it yet.


End file.
